‘My can-do attitude transformed my home’

M y s t o r y

We hadn’t planned on moving but I’d always kept my eye on Rightmove. While scrolling through one day, I stumbled across this house for sale and instantly knew I wanted it. James grew up here in Colchester and we wanted to be close to his family. I asked to see the house and on that first viewing we put in an offer. We just knew it was the right fit for us – it was love at first sight.

When we moved in, the house was in desperate need of some TLC. I could see the potential beyond the dated décor, and I couldn’t wait to put our own stamp on it with pattern, colour and texture to reflect our tastes. Doing the whole house at once felt too daunting so we approached it room by room, using a moodboard to get a cohesive look.

We spent all of our budget on the house, so we had no choice but to do the work ourselves. To avoid the stress and pressure of a deadline, we just took our time decorating. My proudest DIY moment was doing the tongue-and-groove panelling in the bathroom all by myself. James was at work, so I just had to get on with it. I even used a jigsaw, which absolutely terrified me, but I did it and I was delighted with the result.

We absolutely love our new home now. It’s just such a comforting, cosy place to be and I can’t wait for my next painting project!

A BIT ABOUT ME

I’m Chloe Greenwold, 29, and I’m an interior design student. I live with my husband, James, 33, our son, Freddie, three, and daughter, Eden, 17 months, plus our three family pugs, Ralph, Gary and Emily.

WHERE I LIVE

We live in a 1930s three-bedroom semi-detached house in Colchester, Essex. We’ve lived here for three years. You can see more of my home on Instagram @thegreenwoldgaff.

WHAT I WANTED TO CHANGE

The house was full of terracotta and lavender paint with pine woodwork and brown carpet throughout, which I wanted to get rid of as soon as I moved in.

HOW I MADE IT MY OWN

I’ve used colour and texture to make the house feel more homely and I’ve adapted the space to make it work better for our family, including opening up the space under the stairs as a play area.

MY FAVOURITE PART

The living room, with the wood-burner, blue velvet sofas and lots of plants – it feels so cosy in there.

W e l c o m e t o m y h o m e

‘The Lines At The Zoo wallpaper zones the play area, but it doesn’t dominate the rest of the living room, which is what I wanted. It’s from I Love Wallpaper and I get asked all the time if the kids can colour it in. I always say, ‘No’, but I guess they could and that’s what makes it quite fun!’ The toadstool storage box is from Dunelm and the Magnifique print is from Gayle Mansfield

‘I adore having plants throughout my home,’ says Chloe, ‘and these handmade shelves are the perfect place to show some of them off, real and faux. Plants are known to reduce stress levels and improve your mood and for me, they really help bring a space to life’

‘ The living room was the first space we decorated because I knew it’s where we would be spending most of our time. I wanted the space to feel bright but cosy at the same time. Painting the skirting boards in Frenchic’s Blackjack added definition and a lick of white paint freshened up the walls. We opened up the space under the stairs to create a play area for the children – and they love it. We even created a little doggy den from an unused cupboard under the TV! I’m really pleased with the alcove shelving either side of the fireplace, which we made ourselves. Velvet sofas in a deep blue from DFS are the star pieces in this room.’

I could see the potential beyond the dated décor, and I couldn’t wait to put our own stamp on it with pattern, colour and texture to reflect our own tastes

With a tray on top, the pouffe from H&M Home can be used as a coffee table, too

style idea C o m p l e m e n t a n i n d u s t r i a l s c h e m e w i t h w i r e w o r d i n g i n a d a r k - c o l o u r e d s c r i p t

Kitchen

‘ The kitchen cupboards were not to our taste at all, but our budget didn’t stretch to new ones. They were in good condition and the layout suited us, too, so we decided to just give the units a facelift by painting them in Blackjack by Frenchic. We were so impressed with the finished look that we painted the fridge-freezer, too. We then painted over the old wall tiles in white to brighten them up and refreshed the walls with a lick of Soulful Beige by Zhoosh Paints. Re-grouting the floor has given it a new lease of life too. With new shelves and plants, our quick-fix makeover was complete.’

‘For the splashback, I used Jes Rose vinyl to replicate tiles and I think it works really well’

Wooden shelves from Next make good use of empty wall space, while a set of art prints from Everlong Print Co is a nod to the couple’s favourite cocktails

‘The taps were already here when we bought the house. They needed some TLC, but with a bit of elbow grease they came up lovely – they add character to the sink area’

Chloe created this open shelf by removing the cupboard door and adding tongue-and-groove panelling to the inside. ‘It was quite a fiddly job,’ says Chloe, ‘but it was worth it’

Dining room

‘We were lucky that the old owners had built on a conservatory, which is a very handy extra room. Turning it into a dining room was a good move – it’s a brilliant place to sit and eat with friends and family, especially when it starts getting warmer in the summer months. We love looking out to the garden, even when it’s raining. We painted the wall in a dark green paint called Brewer by COAT Paints and it’s really warmed up the space. I love styling the table with monochrome tableware and lots of plants for texture.’

Turning the conservatory into a dining room was a good move. It's a brilliant place to sit and eat with friends and family

Wall lights give the dining space a soft glow; perfect for creating atmosphere at night-time, while simple line prints from Desenio add a contemporary look

Wanting to maximise seating space, Chloe chose a bench to go with her industrial-style table, both from Next. Polka dot bowls from Habitat bring a fun, informal touch to the setting

Gold-coloured wall lights from B&Q add to the boutique feel, while a rattan pendant from La Redoute brings texture

Master bedroom

‘We took up the old carpet to reveal the floorboards underneath, which added instant character. It took another few days to sand and varnish them and then we painted the walls in Black 04 by Lick. For added charm, we restored the fireplace – it took a lot of Kling Strip and elbow grease but it’s a lovely feature. I accessorised with high-street buys, like the polka dot duvet from La Redoute and bed from Next. James was a bit worried about having a black bedroom but he agrees now that it makes the space feel really warm and cosy.’

With a mirror hung on the wall, this IKEA desk works as a dressing table. A pink chair from Homesense adds to the glam getting-ready vibes

STEAL MY STYLE

Get Chloe’s bang-on-trend home style with these buys

Ridged goblets, £19.99 for set of 4, Wayfair

Elsie cocktail chair, £99, Dunelm Large ceramic bobble planter, £15, M&S

Monochrome Spots bedding set, from £16, Argos

Chloe has decorated Eden’s room with wall decorations from Luna and Thread and H&M Home. The flower-shaped cushion is from Zara Home

How to paint wooden floorboards

Give an original floor a new lease of life with this DIY makeover

Before you do anything, give your floorboards a good inspection. Hammer down or remove any sharp nails, carpet tacks or staples, fill in cracks and scratches and repair any loose or broken boards. If they haven’t been sanded before, you’ll need to hire an electric sander to take off the top layer for a smooth finish. If they have been painted or varnished, strip them back so you start with a clean base in order to achieve the best finish.

If you’re repainting, use a pole sander (like a broom) to sand the entire surface, starting with a P60 grit and finishing with a P180 or P150 sandpaper for a smooth finish. You can also use an electric sander for this. Once your floorboards are sanded, clean the floor and wipe with white spirit to remove any dust and dirt. Allow to dry thoroughly.

Depending on your floor paint, you might need to apply a primer. Follow with a thin coat of paint in your chosen colour – you can use any wood paint but we’d recommend those designed specifically for floors as they are more durable.

Allow the first top coat to dry before lightly sanding with a pole sander using a fine P180 sandpaper. This will ensure the paint sticks to the floor. Follow with more coats as required, always allowing time to dry and sanding in between. More thin coats will give you a better finish.

Eden’s bedroom

‘We chose a tropical wall mural for Eden’s bedroom from I Love Wallpaper – it works for her at the age she is now but I think she’ll love it in years to come, too. I’d seen someone hand-painting a toy box on Instagram and thought it would be nice to do something similar on Eden’s wardrobe door. I got out my paintbrush and started painting a floral design over the door – I love the finished look. We’ve hung accessories on the wall to add interest – some of them are personalised to make them even more special.’

‘We took ages to settle on a wall colour. In the end, I went with Pink 08 from Lick; a warm shade with brown undertones that helps create a calming, comforting feel – ideal for a nursery. The knitted wire name is from Rose and Hope on Etsy – I wanted a simple design in a neutral colour to complement the walls. The rainbow is from Fabelab, a children’s brand from Scandinavia’

make this

knitted wire word p58

Chloe picked out safari-themed bedding from Mama Shack and a hot air balloon ceiling light from Dunelm Animal head wall decorations from Fiona Walker London are a favourite feature in Freddie’s bedroom

Bathroom

‘We painted over the old tiles to brighten the space up and we were amazed how much bigger it made it look. I also got busy working on a tongue-and-groove panel for the side of the bath before painting it and stuck black tape to the shower screen, giving it a more contemporary feel. The Floorpops Comet floor tiles were so easy to lay because they’re self-adhesive. It feels like a completely different room now and we love it.’

Freddie’s bedroom

‘Freddie loves animals, so we chose a safari-themed mural from I Love Wallpaper, which instantly added so much personality, and we painted the other walls in Ambrose by Coat Paints. When we ripped up the carpet, we found that the floorboards were badly damaged, so we bought a wood laminate to tie in with the rest of the house. I added a canopy from Etsy and world map print rug from H&M Home to create a reading nook in the corner. A spotty rug by the bed cosies up that space, too.’

Chloe painted the vanity unit and bath panel in Blackjack by Frenchic, while a mat from Urban Outfitters adds colour to the monochrome scheme

W h a t I l e a r n e d

It’s important to prepare your surfaces carefully before painting. If you rush this stage, you’ll only be doing extra work later.

No matter how tricky the DIYs can seem, YouTube tutorials mean that anything is achievable.

Make sure that you buy the correct paint for the job. Initially, I bought the wrong paint for the bathroom tiles which was a waste of money and time. It didn’t look good at all, but after a bit more research we found the right product and it made all the difference.